Re: [boost] [xint] Boost.XInt formal review

Subject: Re: [boost] [xint] Boost.XInt formal review
From: Jeffrey Lee Hellrung, Jr. (jhellrung_at_[hidden])
Date: 2011-03-11 13:58:26

On 3/11/2011 6:28 AM, Chad Nelson wrote:
> On Thu, 10 Mar 2011 17:05:56 -0800
> Scott McMurray<me22.ca+boost_at_[hidden]>  wrote:
[...]
>> Any useful attempt at security will involve more than a single number,
>> so any number that wants to be used securely should have a way to hook
>> into an existing system.  An allocator might be a reasonable way to do
>> this, since it could handle clearing, telling the OS not to swap the
>> memory, or whatever the user decides is important enough, and be
>> applied to the xint, to the vector used in a custom streambuf, etc.
>
> Certainly. But forcing anyone who wants even low-level security to
> write an allocator, when the library itself can handle that much very
> easily, seems foolish.

I agree with Scott here.  Chad, if you feel particularly tied to this 
"low-level security" feature, perhaps it would be best (if this is 
possible) to supply an allocator adaptor that does this memory zero'ing 
upon release of a block.

- Jeff